HC to hear Kanhaiya’s bail plea on Tuesday

New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The bail plea of JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested for sedition, will be heard on Tuesday by the Delhi High Court.

Justice Pratibha Rani would hear the bail plea at 10.30 a.m.

Security would be beefed up in the high court to avoid any untoward incident, in view of the violence seen in the Patiala House courts when Kanhaiya Kumar was produced for hearing.

He had moved the bail plea on Friday after a lower court sent him to judicial custody till March 2.

Kanhaiya’s lawyer had directly moved the the Supreme Court for bail, but the apex court asked his advocate to move the high court for bail, noting that bypassing the high court would set a wrong precedent.

The student leader had directly moved his bail plea before the Supreme Court invoking its jurisdiction under article 32, under which a citizen can move the apex court for enforcing his fundamental rights. Besides bail, Kanhaiya Kumar had sought direction for his safety and security from the apex court.

Invoking article 21 guaranteeing right to life and personal liberty and pointing to the atmosphere of violence that prevailed in Patiala House Court complex on February 15 and 17, he, in his petition in apex court, had said that the manner in which his physical harassment was allowed to take place was a clear pointer to the violation of his right to access justice delivery system.

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case on February 12 after an event held on the university campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.